The Cook Files vol 4: ZoroSanji High School AU
by AllBlueChaser
Summary: A series of Zoro/Sanji Drabbles on various themes based in a high school AU. Sanji is a bit of a trouble maker in this AU and Zoros trying to keep his nose clean but that won't stop a connection as powerful as theirs. First up: The meeting of a Rebel.


Zoro frowned as he realized he'd allowed himself to be cornered in the empty classroom by two rather weak (but persistent) freshmen girls. He eyed the door behind them with a sigh, he'd have to knock them out of the way if he wanted to escape that way and that wasn't an option. Not at school where any mark on his record meant trouble with sensei and no kendo. Next option. His eyes flicked to the window. It was only the second floor, if the thing was unlocked he could meet up with the cook and go eat lunch somewhere no problem.

"Sanji Kuroashi." The shorter brunette suddenly interrupted with the very person he'd been thinking of. For a second he wasn't sure if she was psychic (if such a thing existed) or if she had somehow mistaken HIM for the blond cook.

Seeing Zoro's confusion she clarified. "You're friends right?"

He shrugged noncommittally. Not that it was any of their business but he didn't want to put some label on their relationship anyway. This did nothing to dissuade the inquisition.

"I heard he's from Paris! Is it true?" The taller blonde nearly squealed.

A part of him hated Sanji for this shit. Why did the cook have to go out of his way to be so damn flirtatious to every girl in his path? Why did he let them see this annoyingly polished and mysterious version of himself so easily or give a damn about their praise?

Zoro smirked evilly. It would serve the bastard right to shatter these poor girls fantasy. Tell them how when he had first seen Sanji he was holding someone by the throat and coldly sneering like it would mean nothing to snuff out his life. That these girls probably had rode the bus past him hundreds of times on the way home from school but had pointedly looked away from the gray slab of concrete bordering dusty lot, dried weeds, and half rusted chain link fence meant more to keep it's students in than the trouble out.

Zoro wouldn't have blamed them for not looking. Trouble and those students tended to be one and the same. That place was built as more prison than school and the kids didn't so much go there as were sent there on court order to fulfill some part of Juvie rehabilitation, try for a GED, and learn some technical trade that would hopefully keep them employed and out of prison. To him the place stunk of hopelessness and empty, pointless, violence.

The girls waited patiently as the school's kendo captain slipped back deeper into the memory of his first meeting with Sanji.

That school Sanji attended was positioned along the path of a well worn shortcut from Zoro's school, just before dusty lots transitioned to open fields bordering the train tracks. Zoro had passed it everyday himself on the way home, never bothering to cast his glance that way until he felt the killing intent and energy of the fight on that one fateful day.

The school lot was deserted already and it made him briefly question if the faculty left that quickly or if they didn't trust their cars in the lot to begin with. There was that blond, lit cigarette clenched between his teeth, a spare tucked behind his right ear, and the pack they came from rolled up in the once white ribbed t-shirt's left sleeve. A smear of black grease across his forearms and the side of his throat was visible even from where Zoro was standing. Black slacks and a silver chain looping from belt to pocket from either a wallet or pocket watch. Curiously curly eyebrow over the one blue eye not covered in a curtain of bright golden hued hair topped off the look.

That blue eye flashed dangerously to his, sensing correctly that if the green haired swordsman wanted to interfere the distance and chain link would be nothing to prevent the effort. Zoro made no move to help the man being held aloft in the thin blond's hand and just slowed his pace as he walked by, watching.

Satisfied he wouldn't be interrupted, the blond grinned as he dropped the body from his grip like a sack of garbage and placed a powerful kick to the man's abdomen before he landed sending him instead to skid across the cracked gray top. Curlybrow followed his victim's path leisurely and yanked the man's head by a fistful of more dingy blond to face his.

Around this point Zoro realized that it really was a man the blond was thrashing. More specifically, from the look of him, a teacher. The kid looked his age and not nearly strong enough to take on anyone but he had right in front of him. Took down a teacher easily and without a shred of fear of what that might mean for his future.

"You're lucky. Today you have a witness. Next time I can't say if that will keep me from finishing you off. Get the fuck out of my sight." The man stumbled to his feet and ran off cursing. Curly brow tapped his shoe to the ground, took a drag of his cigarette, and turned to lock eyes with Zoro. A kid his age wrapped in an aura of cool dangerous disinterest was giving him an appraising, interested look, one full of challenge, and at the very least invitation.

The swordsman was tempted to answer it. The air was still crackling with the tension of the blond's fight and he was nearly over come with the desire to hop the fence and show the blond what he had. The kid was strong, good looking, and certainly interesting but he smirked confidently in refusal as he walked past.

All the blond had to offer was one good fight and the potential to get Zoro in major trouble he didn't need. There was more than just chain link fence between them. Zoro was on a path, living for a promise. He wouldn't let himself be dragged into every challenge especially not by someone here who looked like they had nothing to lose.

The blond shrugged, sucked on the cigarette and stuck his hands back into his pockets as he watched the green haired student pass.

For the next few weeks on the way home Zoro would look for the blond in the parking lot. He was always smoking there on the concrete steps or leaning against the building as Zoro passed. They would watch each other as Zoro walked past in some sort of weird staring contest. He noticed on days when he ran late there were quite a few cigarette butts littering the ground around the smoker and he wondered if somewhere along the way the curly brow had begun waiting for him.

A day came where the blond wasn't there and Zoro felt a strange compulsion to stop and wait for him to open the door and step out. He resisted it and only slowed his pace and wondered if perhaps the boy was absent or had grown tired of waiting for him. Or did something bad happen?

The next day he was back on his stoop smoking like he hadn't made Zoro worry the day before. He grinned a bit larger at the look of Zoro's annoyance.

Then the day after, to his surprise, the smoker wasn't alone and what's more he recognized the boy with him. Luffy jumped up and down, waving excitedly at him when he spotted him. The blond seemed stunned for a moment that the two knew each other but went back to chewing Zoro's friend out for something. Luffy was no longer listening though and had bounded over to the fence and over it with such ease the blond's jaw dropped.

"ZORO! You go home this way too?"

"Yeah, but why are you here?"

"Ah! There was this accident with the roof and I kinda promised to help the school till it was paid off." Luffy stuck his tongue out at the thought and leaned toward Zoro's ear conspiratorially. "Our school is so much better though. This place seemed to be exciting at first with the fighting and everything but it's not. Only good thing is Sanji!"

"Sanji?" Zoro inquired but Luffy was already turning around and shouting at the blond beyond the chain link who seemed to be pondering something while lighting another cigarette. Suddenly he realized the smoker had been given a name.

"SANJI! Are you ready to transfer yet!"

Zoro hadn't expected him to answer. Maybe just flip them off or give some other rude gesture.

"Like hell I'd ever transfer into your shitty school!" A smooth voice shouted back in a huff. Luffy just laughed at the answer and turned back to Zoro.

"Yeah! He's a really cool guy! Awesome cook too, although they don't like him so they don't really let him do anything but clean the ovens and grills but that's okay because he cooked for me anyway at lunch and I'm going to get him to transfer!"

"He's able to transfer? " Zoro really couldn't see anyone smart enough to get into their school going here instead and not by court order.

"Yeah! He's smart, even if he's in trouble all the time. He told me our school didn't have a cooking program though so he didn't even consider it."

They looked over to Sanji again. He was pulling a new cigarette from the pack with his teeth and a singular blue eye connected with Zoro's again with the potent and familiar invitation, with challenge, stronger and deeper than before when he could continue walking,and again he had to still the instinct to go to him.

"SANJIIIIII! I'm going home now! See you later!" Luffy yelled at the cook, who to his credit, seemed to have expected that out come and merely shrugged. Luffy started walking in the direction of Zoro's house and Zoro hesitated to move for a moment as he realized he was still in a staring contest with the blond. He shook his head and started after Luffy.

"Why would you want some rebel type that doesn't give a damn anyway?"

Luffy cocked his head to the side and grinned at Zoro like he held some secret understanding. For a moment Zoro thought maybe Luffy had caught on that the question was just as much to himself as his strawhat friend.

"But Zoro, it's the opposite! The problem is he cares too much about the wrong thing."

Zoro hadn't understood what that meant until a week later found him mid-battle with Mihawk outside Sanji's damn school of all places with Luffy and the blond anxiously looking on and heard the confusion as Sanji questioned why, why he'd put his life on the line for his own foolish desires.

Sanji had a purpose, he realized later, he gave a damn, just not about his own goals or else he'd know why. It was a path paved with good intentions but stagnant all the same.

Zoro had been in the hospital after the fights disappointing (and yet inspiring) outcome for a while and as he returned back to school he had walked the path where the fight had taken place. His eyes couldn't help but wander over to the school, looking for Sanji again.

Instead of finding him he discovered a huge chunk of the chain link fence destroyed.

He stood in the lunch line a few hours later scanning the cafe for Luffy. All the times he visited him in the hospital they never discussed what had happened with the blond after the Mihawk fight. A mistake he realized when in first period he had heard rumors NOT of his Mihawk battle but about a rather vicious street gang picking a fight with members of the technical school that Sanji attended and causing a bloody massacre. He found himself anxious since he heard the news.

"Oi. Shithead...get out of line." A smooth familiar voice he couldn't quite place came from behind him. Zoro turned to come face to face with a curly browed blond in a sharp suit. His mouth dropped open a little. He barely recognized the guy in the suit and couldn't think what he was doing here. Were all those days of just walking by pissing him off? Did the Mihawk fight attract the street gang, leaving the blond wanting revenge?

"Are you dense or something? I'm talking to you. Get out of line."

Besides some well hidden, almost healed bruises and cuts, Sanji looked okay. Better than okay really with the suit added in the equation, but Zoro wasn't about to consider that. Still, seeing Sanji in front of him and in one piece gave him an unexpected feeling of relief.

"I'm not going to fight you here. Not at school. Give me a time and place."

The blond leaned back on his heels and smirked.

"You're already itching for a fight after being filleted, huh? _Anytime, anyplace, _asshole. Now get out of line. I brought you a lunch fit for an idiot that just sustained massive blood loss."

"Wait, you're here to bring me lunch?"

Suddenly a thin arm looped around Sanji's neck and pulled him into a loose embrace. Luffy's head appeared over the suit shoulder with a blinding grin.

"No! He's here because he goes here now! I got him to transfer!"

Sanji pried himself loose in protest.

"No you didn't! I'm here for my own reasons! Stop spouting this shit to everyone who will listen, I'm trying to build a good image here. And YOU! Get out of the damn line already I'm not letting this food go to waste!" He stomped his way over to a a table tucked away by some windows.

Luffy grinned as he began to pull Zoro from the line to follow. Zoro still stood kind of stunned. He couldn't help but watch as this blond stranger in his school navigated the crowd with ease and made himself at home at a table with Zoro's group of friends.

"You know Zoro, he didn't actually agree to transfer here until after watching you fight and I mentioned you went here too." Zoro's eyes flashed to Luffy who just shrugged. "Among other things." He finished with a laugh.

Zoro grumbled and playfully shoved Luffy away and sat down to the best damn food he'd ever eaten. Sanji smirked at him knowingly. Telling him he knew how good it was. That he wanted him to get back in top form so they could face each other on equal terms properly. The eyes burned into him with that old challenge and invitation.

Anytime, any place, he had said.

Zoro had no reason to decline.

Nami leaned in.

"Sanji, that suit is Italian right?"

"Oooh good eye Nami my love, that's right! But I originally got it in Paris. There were so many beautiful sights there I couldn't help myself. Although, I didn't see your lovely face, perhaps you were modeling for some painter as their muse? Oh how jealous I am! It makes me want to pick up the brush." He took her hand gently and placed a small treat in it lovingly. "My only masterpiece is this tart I made for you today; would you do me the honor of trying it?"

Zoro felt nauseous at the memory.

The disgust at Sanji's behavior toward girls served to remind him of his current inquisition and looked back to the two freshman girls waiting for his answer. They liked that Sanji. The fake Sanji that couldn't help but try to charm and impress the girls at his new school. How easy it would be to reveal what that bastard was really like.

But then again did he really want to share his Sanji? The one only he knew?

Anytime, any place. The gleam of mischief in his eyes.

"Yeah, he's from Paris. A regular Romeo of a prince. Excuse me." He pushed past the girls as gently as he could, not they noticed, too busy swooning at this revelation. He was sure they had more questions but he didn't give a damn.

Out the door he was assaulted by an increasingly familiar waft of smoke. Great, now he was smoking in the hallway. Well he supposed he couldn't expect those rougher rebel tendencies to go away overnight.

"So I'm a prince huh? Good to know. I like the sound of that. You DO know I'm not from Paris though, right?"

"You bastard! If you were there, why didn't you help?"

Sanji shrugged at Zoro's mild embarrassment with an amused smirk.

"Figured you could handle it. Just came by to see what was taking so damn long. Glad I did too. Come on, I have sushi today and the ice pack lasts only so long." He chuckled.

"Sushi?" The kendo champ asked with barely concealed anticipation.

"Yeah, Sushi."

Yes. Zoro would rather keep this Sanji to himself.


End file.
